


Give Me an Omen (show me a sign)

by LyraBF



Series: A Series of Unconnected-Sometimes-Connected AUs [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (mostly), (well... feels might be the wrong word to use but whatever), Alternate Universe, And Regulus Black is not good, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, As much as I love him, Black Family Drama (Harry Potter), Black Family Feels (Harry Potter), Black Family Madness (Harry Potter), Black Family-centric (Harry Potter), Depends, Good and evil are not so easy to separate, He is not evil either though, Hurt No Comfort, Marauders, Morally Ambiguous Character, Not Canon Compliant, POV Regulus Black, Regulus Black Deserves Better, Regulus Black Feels, Regulus Black-centric, SO, also, black brothers, might add more tags as we go, no editing whoops, you know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28074963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyraBF/pseuds/LyraBF
Summary: In another universe, Regulus Black sets out to destroy a horcrux and dies the death of both hero and traitor. In another universe, his sacrifice will allow one Harry Potter and his friends to begin their perilous quest to destroy, once and for all, a Dark Lord.This is not that universe, and by happenstance, Regulus Black’s life leads down a different path entirely.(or, the Regulus Black- fic that doesn’t fix things per se, just changes them. yikes?)
Relationships: Regulus Black & Black Family, Regulus Black & Death Eater Characters, Regulus Black & Kreacher, Regulus Black & Orion Black, Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Regulus Black & Walburga Black, Sirius Black & Black Family, Sirius Black & Orion Black, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Peter Pettigrew & James Potter, Sirius Black & Walburga Black
Series: A Series of Unconnected-Sometimes-Connected AUs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056671
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38





	Give Me an Omen (show me a sign)

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, here we are, my first fanfiction on this account (yay!)^^
> 
> I absolutely do have another account on AO3, but for -reasons- I have decided to create another one. Welcome :3
> 
> (Also, fair warning. There is absolutely zero editing going on here, and I wrote this at like 3 AM, so. Great ideas, right? Anyways, plot will appear as I progress, welcome for the ride.)

Lies are a delicate thing. Done correctly, they may secure one’s position in society, guard what needs to be guarded and enhance a reputation. Performed by an inadequate practitioner, lies may tear families down the slippery ladders of society, open truths of old and wreak havoc for a short moment of time, before the next blindfold is removed from the eyes of  _ la societé _ . 

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black is more than adequate at the craftsmanship of lies. Its members wield lies just as expertly at wands; a whisper here, a smile there. Each and every Black knows how to mould their face into a mask which expresses only what they wish for it to express. After all, when it comes to the art of lies, words are often secondary; trust - and by relation, expressions and emotions - are the primary wings on which a lie may travel. Without trust, who is there to take in a lie and nurture it until it becomes a truth?

Regulus knows that his family lies about many things, as do all pure-bloods. It is hardly a secret that everyone lies; the elitist society in which the old families tend to cocoon themselves could hardly have been built on truths. No, lies are the metaphorical bricks on which pretentiousness thrives, and the only catch is to not get caught. Because sure, everyone lies. Everyone has affairs and illegitimate childs, and Merlin knows that most of the sacred pure-blood families aren’t even half as pure as they claim to be. With arranged marriages and the sheer amount of inbreeding, the gene pool would be disturbingly small should there be no involvement with half-bloods, muggleborns - even the occasional muggle.

Everyone knows about the scandalous acts that occur behind closed doors - mostly everyone partakes in at least one scandalous thing themself. In fact, mostly everyone is encouraged to do so, as long as they don’t get caught. As long as lies can cover up the ugly truths, nothing is truly off limits.

Regulus knows many lies, partakes in them, uses them for the benefit of himself and his family alike. He knows truths, too, and those truths could become the most dangerous weapon he has, should he choose to use them. He won’t, because once one truth is revealed, others are often apt to follow, and Regulus knows there are things that are best locked away, sealed by silence and avoidance. Secrets that could tear apart the carefully constructed pureness of his family, that could ridicule them in front of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Toujours pur is nothing but a lie, and a beautiful one at that. Regulus prefers the beauty of lies over the jagged edges of a broken truth. Lies are necessary to uphold the status quo, to maintain the stability that is brought to the wizarding world through the actions of those with blood that is unquestionably pure. To question their purity would be to question the very soul of their world; the beating heart of magic itself.

Sirius hated it, hated how fake their lives were and how good he had grown at lying. He didn’t think it right, or proper; didn’t understand the necessity of lies over truths. Regulus has always known that, although nowadays he can’t say for sure whether Sirius is happy for his silver tongue anyways. Lying might sure come in handy, considering his brother’s obnoxious pranks and constant disregard for rules. Sirius might pretend he isn’t like the rest of them, but the famous Sirius Black charm comes from nowhere else than his family. Regulus would know, although he himself has always been particularly lacking.

It’s ironic, really, how much Sirius reminds Regulus of the rest of his family at times. The charm, the lies, the effortless arrogance. Perhaps he doesn’t know of it himself, but when Sirius struts (and struts is truly the only correct word to use) around the corridors at Hogwarts, Regulus can only think about how much that gait reminds him of their father. If he said that to his brother, Sirius would probably forget all proper etiquette and straight-up deck him in the face. 

Luckily for the both of them, Regulus hasn’t had a conversation with Sirius ever since Sirius stormed out of the house, so he’s unlikely to slip out something as offending as reminding his brother of where he came from.

And yet, that is somehow exactly what he would like to do, if only to get an excuse to say something - whatever - to his brother. 

_ ‘You remind me of cousin Bella when you laugh,’ _ he could say. Oh, Sirius would absolutely despise that. ‘ _ You both have a bit of madness in you, just like most of our family. Did you know that that’s supposedly because we’re actually pure, instead of a watered-down version of what blood purity is supposed to be? Once you’re inbred enough, something is bound to go wrong, I suppose.’ _

Or, perhaps,  _ ‘That thing you do, where you sneer at us Slytherins? I don’t know if you’ve practiced in front of a mirror, but if you have, you sure nailed mother’s expression. I bet if you put on a wig and a bit of mascara, no one could tell the difference.’  _

Heck, even something along the lines of,  _ ‘You and cousin Cissy smile the same when you’re satisfied, but don’t want to show it. She wouldn’t admit it, and you won’t either, but Merlin, I can tell that you used to practice that look together before you’d lie to mother. You used to be good friends, you and her and Bella, didn’t you? But that’s probably something you’d rather ignore, because it hurts your pride too much to admit that you occasionally found good things in our family, too. Despite the loads of crap.’ _

And, Merlin’s beard, the pride.  _ ‘Awfully Gryffindor of you to stand by your mistakes, head held high, so proud of yourself. Can you still hear her words when you do that? “Whatever you do, do it with pride, and no one will be able to slander you.” You remember, right? Not such a wasted lesson after all, was it?’ _

Oh, Sirius is so much like the rest of the Blacks; wearing red and gold has not changed his heritage. Packing his bags and being burnt off the tapestry has not erased his history, the one where he was brought up as the future Lord of House Black. Regulus looks at his brother and thinks that Sirius is everything a pure-blood heir should be; if only he would be wearing silver and green, he would blend right in with the rest of them.

If only Sirius hadn’t been placed with the lions, so loud and proud, so set to change things, he would have made Walburga Black immensely pleased. 

He is only a spare, Regulus knows, although a valued one. Mother loves him, most certainly, and father has no opinion in one direction or another, but he is no Sirius. He is no heir, because he was never raised to be; that was all for his brother, and now it is for him, although he is not equipped to handle it.

They may try, but even if Regulus can weave the most exquisite of lies and speak in the most eloquent of ways, he will always be a youngest child. There will always be a softness left in him that none of Walburga’s attempts can weed out; at most, the softness can be smothered and shrouded in darkness, left to simmer and bide its time, left to stop Regulus from becoming ruthless like the rest of them. Regulus is concealed glances, hidden tears, a bleeding conscience and a mind that is too sharp to set down the narrow path on which his brother is paving a way. 

He holds no plans to stray, no ambitions other than those given to him by blood. Regulus holds his head up high and chooses the path that is easiest, knowing where it will lead him. He embraces the darkness as an old friend, and lets lies set root in his heart and soul. At least one son can make the family proud; at least one son can live up to the name of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Oh, he is set for ruin, and that part of his heart which could never be hardened keeps him up at night, but if desolation is what awaits him at the end of his golden brick road, then he will walk it a thousand times over. 

Perhaps, if he were more like Sirius, he would look at the unstable road and see a brighter future, but he knows that the light at the end of the tunnel is just as likely to be a train as it is to be the day. Regulus, for all of the family fortune, cannot afford optimism, not now nor ever, for he finds himself lacking the claws which are necessary to carve his own mark in history.

Regulus Black is not good or light, but he will also never be as ruthless as his brother can be. 

**Author's Note:**

> And we're done with chapter one! Might be followed by a quite significant time-skip, or not. We'll see. Anyhow, tell me what you thought if you want to, but no obliations. Hope you enjoyed^^


End file.
